Breech for torpedo-tubes.



O. M. LEONARD. BREECH FOR TORPEDO TUBES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3, 1911.

Patented Nov. 20, 191?.

'2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. M. LEONARD.

BREECH FOR TORPEDO TUBES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I917- 11. %%7,4c1 K Patented Nov. 20, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

onrs MAncUs LEONARD, or MACY, minim.

IBZREECI-I ron 'ronrnno-rnnns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20?, limit.

Application filed March 3, 1917. Serial No. 152,330.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ONIs M. LEONARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Macy, in the county of Miami and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breeches for Torpedo- Tubes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. i

The invention. relates to a torpedo tube breech.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of torpedo tubes, more especially the breech construction, and the mechanism for firing the torpedo from the tube, and to provide a simple, practical and efficient construction which will be strong durable and inexpensive and which will be adapted to relieve submarines of the weight ofmany tons of mechanism ordinarily employed in connection. with the firing or discharge of torpedoes. from torpedo tubes.

A further object of the invention is to lessen the cost of firing torpedoes from torpedo tubes and to increase the effectiveness of the mechanism employed for discharging the torpedoes from tubes.

"With these and other objects inview, the

invention consists in the construction and nying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: a

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a torpedo tube provided with a breech constructed in accordance with this invention. i Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the breech of the'torpedo tube. i

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is. a similar view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation ofthe breech.

'Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view 011 the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention 1 designates a torpedo tube designed for use in a submarine 2 or other vessel and the mechanism herein described may be employed for discharging torpedoes and projecting the same into the water by any suitable means. Thetorpedo tube 1 is provided atthe rear end with a breech 2 removably..mounted on the torpedo tube by any suitable means. In the accompanying drawings a band 3 is shown having a threaded engagement with the breech and with the rear end of the torpedo tube, but any other suitable means may of course be employed.

The torpedo tube receives a torpedo 4 which fits the interior of the torpedo tube in the usual manner and forms a rear chamber 5 in the rear portion of the torpedo tube for the reception of the pressure employed for 'expelling the torpedo from the tube, and in order to eliminate the pressure pumps, tanks and other heavy machinery ordinarily employed on submarines and the like for this purpose, the breech is equipped with an evaporating cup 6 designed to be supplied with liquid air, ammonia or other suitable gas forming liquid, which is fed to the evaporating cup in the desired quantity by means of a supply pipe 7. The supply pipe 7- is extended through the breech and is provided with an armor branch 8 which extends upwardly to and is'connected with the bottom'of the evaporating cup at an inlet aperture 9thereof. The liquid air, am monia or other gas forming liquid may be stored in a suitable vessel or receptacle and will weigh comparatively little with respect to the heavy pumps and tanks ordinarily employed for the expulsion of torpedoes from torpedo tubes on submarines. The liquid air, ammonia or other liquid of like character is evaporatedand converted into gas of the desired pressure by means of electrically heated members 10 extending into the eva crating cup and consisting of copper pla es in the accompanying drawings, but any other form of heating element may of course be employed and the cup is insulated electrically at 11. The electrically or binding posts 12 extending through the breech and adapted to be connected w th suitable electrical conductors fo1"supply1ng the current for heating the copper plates orv other heating elements. The insulation may be of any desired character and only a com paratively small cup Will be required for producing a pressure of the desired degree. By varying the amount of theliquid air, ammonia or other material and the amount of heat to which the same. is subjected, the required pressure may be produced in the desired time, which, owing to the heating means, will be practically instantaneous.

The cup is arranged within a chamber 13 formed by a transverse disk or plate 14: and the breech and the said disk or plate is of the same. diameter as the interior of thetorpedo tube and is connected with thebreech by means of an'annularseries of bolts 15, a spacing sleeve or member 16 being interposedbetween the disk and the breech to prevent the cup from being crushed. The spacing member or sleeve, which isarranged eXt-eriorly' of the annular series of bolts 15, is preferably flared at its inner and'outer ends', as shown, and it constitutes the side walls of the cup-receiving chamber. By this construction the cup and 'the'heating elements are housed within the breech mechanism, The heatingelements-are connected Witheach other and with the binding'posts or terminals of the conductors which convey the currentto the heating means.

'The torpedo is provided at the rudder with a hook or engaging member 17, which is engaged'by a correspondinglyshaped arm or engaging portion 18-of a releasing shaft 19 extending through the disk and the breech and provided at its outer 'end' with an operating device 20, which. isv preferably in ,theform of'a crank handle andv which is adapted to be operated to'swing the hook orengaging arm of, the shaft out of fengagement with the hook or engaging member of the torpedo. The torpedo holding and releasing. device connects the torpedo with the breech so that the internal pressure which passest-hrough apertures22xof the plate of the breech acts against both the breech and the torpedo until the torpedo is. released and thereby assists inholdingthe ibreech in place, the breech being subjected'to the maximum pressure only when the torpedo is released. The breech is provided with a centrally arranged stufling box; 231atl1mough which the holding and releasing-shaftrexe tends, but any other suitablemeansianayof course. be employed for-.mounting,the said shaft which iswalso provided with an; abutment 24 for; engagingthe. disk or plate. The abutment may be in the .formof anut,

releasinga torpedo;

-.developed in. the pressure chamber at the' 7 rear end of the torpedo tube. h

It will be seen that practi'callyithe re quired-pressure for discharging a torpedo may be almost instantlydeveloped in the pressure chamber-at the-rear :end'of. the toia pedo tube: and that vei-iylittle mechanism is requiredi'to supply the. evaporating cup: with the gas formingliquid and for. creating the necessary'heatito developwthe gas pressure and that the ,mechanism will reduce the weight of torpedo expelling or discharging mechanism at least eighty-five per cent; and that thercost of firingterpedoes;will be ma terially reduced. 7

- VVhat is claimed is;

l. A device of the class described iuclud ing atorpedo tube providedwith a breech and having an evaporating receptacle adaptedto besupplied with a gas forming liquid,

and insane for supplying-heat to the-recap; tacle for converting the liquid into ig assof the desired pressure. i I: IT 2. A-' evice of theclassdescribed includ ing a torpedo tube provided with aabreech and having an evaporating receptacle-adapt ed to be supplied with agas forming liquid, and electrically heated elements fer supplymg heat to the receptacle for converting-the 7 liquid into gas oftherle'sired pressure.

3. A device" of the class. describedinc lud ing a torpedo tube, .arecepta-cle located vvith in the tube and adapted .to contain 351.. gas iiorming;liquid,means for supplying heat to the receptaclefor convertingstl'ie liquidiinto gas of the desired. pressure, and means for holding a torpedo in the tube-and for releasing -the torpedo after the pressure-has: developed. '1

4. A device of. the class described including a torpedo tube havinga-breech, means for supplying a gas producing liquid toxthe torpedo tube, 'means for heating the liquid for converting the same into gas of the desired pressure, and meansiier holdingnand 5*. A device of :the class described'including a torpedo tube having a breech, means for supplying a gas producing liquid tOfztllB for converting the same into gas of the ode sired pressure, and means for connecting thebreech with'fa torpedo for holding the torpedo and for releasing the same, said means. being adapted tocause the internal pressure to assist in holding the breech in pOSZitionpriof to thereleaseof the torpedo. v

torpedoitube, means fer! heating theqliquid 6. A device of the class described including a torpedo tube having a breech, means for supplying a gas producing liquid to the torpedo tube, means for heating the liquid for converting the same into gas of the de sired pressure, and means for connecting the breech with a torpedo for holding the torpedo and for releasing the same, said means including a rotary shaft extending through the breech and having an exterior operating device and provided with an intcriorly engaging arm, and a coacting member carried by the torpedo for engaging with the arm and for permitting disengagement of the same by a rotary movement of. the shaft.

7. A device of the class described including a torpedo tube, a breech for the torpedo tube provided with an interiorly arranged casing forming a chamber and composed of a perforated disk of the diameter of the interior of the torpedo tube, and means for spacing the disk from the breech and for securing the disk to the said breech, a re ceptacle arranged in the space between the disk and the breech and adapted to receive a gas forming liquid, electrically heated elements located at the receptacle for raising the temperature of the gas forming liquid to produce gas of the desired pressure, and means for supplying a current to the said elements.

8. A device of the class described including a torpedo tube, a breech for the torpedo tube, an evaporating cup carried by the breech and arranged interiorly of the torpedo tube and adapted to receive a gas forming liquid, a feed pipe extending through the breech and connected with the receptacle, electrically heated elements extending into the receptacle for supplying the feed to convert the liquid into gas of the desired pres sure, and means carried by the breech for supplying current to the electrically heated elements.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ONIS MARCUS LEONARD.

Witnesses:

RoLLm CASE, 0. R. LEONARD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

